God sees all – past, present, and future. He remembers in detail all that has come before, is fully aware of what is happening now, and has intimate knowledge of every moment to come. He is the creator of all things, at all times, simultaneously.
The idea of God’s omniscience is best described in Psalm 139:
O Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off. You comprehend my path and my lying down, And are acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word on my tongue, But behold, O Lord, You know it altogether. Psalm 139:1-4 (NKJV)
Longing for Protection
We can take comfort in God’s ability to transcend time. As young children, we took comfort in believing our parents were all-knowing and capable of protecting us from our childhood fears. As adults, we still long to be protected, but no man or woman can provide what we need. However, an all-seeing God can provide the comfort and security for which we long. But to receive this comfort, we must learn to trust and train ourselves to believe.
God’s View Compared To Ours
In comparison to God’s omniscience, people are blind. Our sense of the present is hazy at best, shadowed by situational distractions and emotional turbulence. Recall the movie “Rashomon,” where four people saw the same event but understood it differently. Similarly, our memories are no less fleeting and subject to rapid degeneration. Try remembering what you ate for dinner three nights ago. Chances are the memory is already gone. And when we do remember, our recollections are often inaccurate.
For example, I clearly remember voting for Jimmy Carter and being thrilled with his victory. Yet, my niece recently pointed out that if you do the math, I would have only been 16 years old in 1976, too young to vote. Carter’s was the first election I was excited about, but somehow my memory had me voting as well.
And as for our knowledge of the future, it’s simply nonexistent. We’re good worriers about the future but terrible clairvoyants!
God Sees All
On the other hand, God sees all. He has thoughts about us from before we were born, through every twist and turn of our development in the womb, our upbringing through childhood, and during life as adults. He watches us moment by moment, day by day, for our entire lives, and has more thoughts about us than grains of sand in the sea.
I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well. My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them. How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand. -Psalm 139:14-18 (NKJV)
Omniscience Versus Myopia
What a contrast to our human perceptions, which are distorted – by emotions, fears, physical discomforts, and distractions. Overall, we’re incredibly myopic regarding our lives. But God is clear-eyed. He sees all and understands everything we have been through, are currently experiencing and will face in the future. He is all-seeing, all the time.
It’s difficult to imagine God’s perspective, like trying to see beyond our three-dimensional world into another dimension. Unfortunately, our physical senses don’t work that way. We’re trapped in a material mind and body with severely limited perception abilities.
Four-Eyed Believer
However, while we are myopic compared to divine perception, God did give us one amazing gift – the ability to “believe” in Him. Belief in God is the greatest activity in which we can ever engage. Choosing to believe in God and have faith that He exists and is in charge involves training ourselves to imagine God’s creation and abilities.
Spending time imagining how God sees all (past, present, future) helps us comprehend His divinity, which then helps us surrender ourselves to Him more completely. We’re talking about worship – the human act of praising something greater than ourselves. In this case, we choose to honor the creator of the universe, acknowledging His power and standing in awe at His abilities.
It Takes Effort To Believe
In many ways, it’s easier to believe in the world than in God. Five hundred years ago, before the Renaissance and Age of Reason, it was much easier to believe in God. Then, there was no modern science. Most people did not read and were uneducated, and life was simpler. Folks were raised in the Church and taught to fear the Lord, and for the most part, they did.
Today people are educated, science and rational thinking are predominant, and people are encouraged to think for themselves. Our secular education system is ordered not to mention God but to instruct students in the scientific method – test hypotheses and look for proof confirmed with their five senses. It is difficult to believe in a God we cannot see with our eyes or hear with our ears.
Tools To Believe
That’s why it matters what we think about and where we focus. And focusing on God’s omniscience is an excellent place to start. We spend many hours thinking about ourselves, our pursuits, and our relationships daily. Why not take a little time to contemplate the creator of the universe and his all-knowing, all-seeing abilities? Believing in God is like developing an underutilized muscle. And reflecting on the idea that God sees all is like doing push-ups for our faith.
Faith Leads To Freedom
God gave us the ability to know and worship him to free us. When we believe in him, we start to perceive as he does. Faith in God is like putting on glasses – suddenly, the world becomes clear. Ironically, submitting ourselves to God ends up empowering us and increasing our human abilities.
For example, without God, we are left to our own devices to tackle life’s troubles. We must reconcile disturbing events from our past, manage current difficulties and obstacles, and handle the anxiety provoked by fear of the future. These activities tax us, run us down, deteriorate our health, disturb our sleep, challenge our relationships, and generally make us desperate and overwhelmed.
Are You Ready for Trouble?
Of course, there are seasons in our lives when everything goes smoothly, and we have successes. But inevitably, trouble comes. And when it does, all the other challenges associated with that trouble go with it. Yet, with God, we never have to face difficulties alone. Faith in God is the most effective antidote for hardship, summed up best by Jesus himself.
These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. John 16:33 (NKJV)
Life on earth inevitably brings difficult situations. Left to our own devices, these troubles will wear us down. But when we choose to believe in God, He stays with us during hard times. Our fears and anxieties lessen knowing we are not alone. The Holy Spirit resides in all believers’ hearts, guiding, directing, comforting, and inspiring us. God clears our perceptions, enabling us to navigate troubled waters more easily.
Living With and Without God
The following example compares navigating through troubled times with and without God. As an acupuncturist, I treat many patients who have cancer. Acupuncture helps alleviate pain, boost red and white blood cell count during chemo, and relieve the adverse effects of medications. This past year I had two patients undergoing cancer treatment – one who did not believe in God and another who did.
The Non-Believer
Patient 1 (a non-believer), a 52-year-old woman, is a successful professional. The cancer was a huge blow to her and her family, but she rolled up her sleeves and dove into treatment with determination and courage. But unfortunately, her courage was not strong enough to prevent her from worrying and fearing for her future. What would happen to her family if she died? What would happen to her?
She shared her sense of “losing control of her life” and struggled to stay positive. Depression set in during her treatment, and her doctor prescribed antidepressants, which helped take the edge off her fears. Ultimately, she got through chemo and radiation and is now in complete remission. Her confidence is back, and she is putting this season of cancer behind her.
The Believer
Patient 2 (a believer), a 67-year-old woman, underwent a similar cancer diagnosis and treatment. She is a life-long Christian with a strong faith in God. Her attitude from her diagnosis until cleared and in complete remission was one of peace. “God’s in control, so I have nothing to worry about,” she would say when I asked how she was doing. It’s not like she didn’t have discomfort from the treatments – she developed nausea, debilitating fatigue, and peripheral neuropathy from her chemo sessions. Yet these discomforts did not disrupt the profound sense of peace she maintained throughout the ordeal.
Looking at these two women, it’s clear that the second patient’s faith in God helped her through a time of trouble, while the first patient was left to rely on her own strength. Luckily Patient 1 was strong and got through the ordeal in one piece. But many people don’t have the resilience to persevere. With God, no problem is too significant, no mountain too high. We just have to believe.
Humans Love To Be In Charge
One problem we face as humans is our desire to be in charge, to have the self rule our destiny. Self-awareness, self-empowerment, and self-sufficiency are coveted qualities of human nature that we naturally strive to acquire and develop. Unfortunately, these human urges for power are counter-productive and end up hurting us more than helping.
The foundational principles of the New Age Movement for self-actualization are an illusion. Self-actualization does not bring peace and contentment. It may feel good, at the moment, to believe we are in charge of our destiny. However, it soon becomes apparent that external forces are in control and we are merely pawns in the grand chess game of life.
Amazing Grace
We can no more direct our own path than see into the fourth dimension – it’s physically impossible. Without God, we are blind to the workings of the world.
Amazing grace, how sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me
I once was lost, but now I’m found
Was blind, but now I see
-John Newman, 1772
The Illusion of Free Will
Having free will gives us the illusion that we are in charge. However, in reality, we are controlled by forces much more powerful than ourselves.
Free will is an illusion. Our wills are simply not of our own making. Thoughts and intentions emerge from background causes of which we are unaware and over which we exert no conscious control. We do not have the freedom we think we have. -Sam Harris, Neuroscientist
The truth is that we are all slaves to something. Therefore, the essential question we must ask ourselves is, “who or what are we choosing to worship?” Paul warned us about is in his letter to the Romans:
They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the creator — who is forever praised. Amen. Romans 1:25
Who Are We Worshiping?
What are we choosing to worship instead of God? Is it power, money, thrills, or prestige? We may be worshiping comfort as a means of avoiding pain. Regardless of their superficial appeal, none of these idols will bring lasting peace or contentment. Instead, they advertise empty promises and lead only to broken dreams.
Ultimately, it’s wiser to worship and serve God, the creator of the universe. He knows what’s best for us because He created us. And because God perceives the past, present, and future simultaneously, He’s the best source to guide our path. Proverbs 3 has been articulating this truth for the past three thousand years.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths.-Proverbs 3:5-6 (NKJV)
Time to Choose
In the 1999 movie, The Matrix, Morpheus offered Neo a choice between two pills: Taking the red pill would reveal the truth about the Matrix (Truth). The blue pill would make Neo forget everything and return to his former life (Falsehood). Similarly, we all choose whether to believe that God exists or not. By taking the red pill, we choose God and live our lives according to His rules. Taking the blue pill means we disregard God and navigate life on our own terms.
Thinking about God’s omniscience is essential when deciding which pill to take. Unlike Neo, choosing God means taking the red pill every morning upon waking, intentionally recommitting ourselves to being faithful to a God we cannot see with our eyes, and trusting in His ability to see us.
Are You Ready To Choose God?
Many non-believers are not entirely without faith. They are quick to reject God as portrayed in the Bible but do believe in a cosmic force. They typically describe this phenomenon as an all-powerful, amorphic energy, similar to “The Force” in Star Wars. I, myself, was a Star Wars believer for many years. Somehow, this belief seemed more palatable in our modern, rational world. It could be all the spaceships and robots.
The challenge with this belief is that you must make up all the rules as you go. There is no Star Wars bible to consult when troubled times arise or ‘Force pastor’ to consult for advice when faced with a dilemma. If you are going to place your trust in the unknown and unseen, why not pick a source that’s been around for a while?
God Versus Religion
Don’t let the poor performance of the Church discourage you – all religious enterprises are corrupted by humans. But God is incorruptible, and He’s the one calling on you to trust. So if you’re curious, pick up the Bible and start reading. An excellent place to start is Psalm 139, the inspiration for this post. I like the New King James version, but you can select from any version using this Bible Gateway Link to Psalm 139.
I’m relatively new in my walk with God. On the one hand, it’s challenging, uprooting a lifetime of beliefs in my sense of self and rationality. But on the other hand, it’s freeing, giving me a sense of peace and security that I could never experience with my secular beliefs. So if you sense something is missing from your life, try filling that void with faith in God. You may find it’s the answer for which you’ve been searching.
About Raleigh Acupuncture
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